Federal Court Ruling on Warrant

In January 2009, CSIS applied to the Federal Court for a warrant against two Canadians whose activities were believed to constitute threats to Canada’s security.

The warrant was sought in order to allow the Service to intercept communications and collect, from within Canada, certain information pertaining to the two individuals while they were outside of Canada.

The Court ruled that it has jurisdiction to authorize the Service to use investigative techniques, such as the interception of communications when individuals under investigation travel abroad, as long as those techniques were executed within Canada. In the government’s view, this decision recognizes that the Service’s mandate to collect threat-related information is not subject to a territorial limitation.

The Federal Court recognized that individuals who pose a threat to the security of Canada may move easily and rapidly from one country to another and maintain lines of communication with other like-minded persons. The decision means that investigators may obtain information crucial to the prevention of such threats by following those lines of communications.

This Federal Court ruling provides CSIS with additional means necessary to exercise its mandate to protect Canadians and safeguard Canada from global threats.